Tempest
by telestic
Summary: In the face of the apocalypse, how long can faith and love survive? Best friends since childhood, Aurora and Glenn have been with Rick's group since the beginning. After getting separated at the fall of the prison, Aurora finds her group again, but past confessions and recent revelations threaten to break the balance she maintains in the group. [glenn x oc, eventual daryl x oc]
1. prologue

When she was a little girl, her faith meant _everything._

There was no one who could tell her that God wasn't real; no one who could say that there was no higher power looking down from above and keeping her safe.

Every night, before bed, she would say her prayers, then fall asleep counting the stars, small lights that God left on just for her so she would have no reason to fear the dark.

Call it foolish, a naive young hope, but her faith could not be shaken, no matter the obstacle. 

But time _tests_ and _weathers_ , and nothing **pure** can stay. 

When she saw her first dead body, the blood and gore shook her so deeply that it took everything not to double over and spew out last night's meager dinner.

Blood wasn't something she shied away from in the past, but seeing the savage wounds all over the victim's body was enough to knock the breath out of her lungs.

Her God would have never allowed this, should have never let this poor being suffer such a gruesome fate. 

But He had, and her faith began to mean _less_ than it had before. 

These times were the stuff of biblical proportions, trials that determined the most faithful of followers.

But it's difficult to believe that mere faith will prevail when Hell is emptied on Earth. 

It's hard to hold on to belief in the eye of the **tempest.**


	2. to Feel Again

_"Do you remember when we first met?"_

* * *

The air was thick with hot southern heat. Her hands shook as she groped her side, searching for the near empty water bottle. She feebly grabbed at the plastic, and with a mournful sigh, downed the last of the water. Taking a wary glance at the glaring sun overhead, she prayed that there would be rainfall soon. There were no other sources of water around, and without it, and any other food source, she doubted that she would make it much further.

When the world ended she learned to stop counting the days, but she couldn't help but wonder how many had passed since she lost her group. They were all separated when the prison went up in flames, and she hadn't been able to find anyone since.

Each night, she pictured their faces, her heart heavy in her chest, begging her to let sleep take over. But she couldn't rest knowing that they were still out there, fighting for their lives just as she was, if they were even out there at all.

Immediately she shook the thought away, refusing to believe that anyone else had died after the Governor attacked.

Instead she remembered the first day she was welcomed into the group. They had been eager to take her in because of her medical training before the apocalypse, and they trusted her friend, Glenn, because he knew the streets of Atlanta better than anyone.

Thinking of him caused a small smile to play on her lips. She would've given anything in the world just to hear his voice again. She missed the long nights spent talking about their lives, what they wished they had done, what they wanted to do in the future. The best nights, for her, were the ones they spent talking about their childhood, and how different it all was back then.

A low growl came from behind her then, breaking her away from her thoughts. She lazily unsheathed her machete, turning around just in time before the walker lunged.

Giving an exasperated sigh, she used what little energy she had left to shove it off before slashing though the neck with ease. The walker slouched over and landed on the road with a harsh thud.

For good measure, she spat on its remains, and wiped the blood off of her weapon before tucking it away.

The sun lay heavy on her shoulders. Her worn white t-shirt clung to her skin with a slick layer of sweat, her dark colored jeans causing the same issue. She didn't know how much longer she could go, just trudging along down this road.

There was no destination in sight, just the feeble hope that maybe, just maybe, she would walk in the right direction and regroup with everyone.

She eyed the woods lining her path, and wondered if she was better off cutting though the forest. Maybe they had found a house isolated among the trees, a temporary safe haven to gather their strength before moving on. Or maybe she was just hoping that she would be able to do that for herself. Either way, she decided to go in, absentmindedly carving an x on the first tree she passed by; a marker to help her keep track.

Once in the trees she made sure to tread lightly; without any food or water she was in no shape to deal with a herd of walkers.

A few minutes had passed before she made sure to mark up another tree. The shade helped cool her down, giving some relief in an otherwise unsavory situation.

It would take hours for her to finally find it, but soon enough she was stumbling down a dirt path into a small clearing. At the end sat a weathered barn.

Instinctively she lay a hand on her machete and glanced behind her and to the sides, making sure the area was clear before approaching the building. There were a few panels that had been chipped apart, or fell from heavy rain fall, but besides that the barn had stood strong against the apocalypse.

She slowly reached for the door, leaning in to listen for any movement. There was a slight rustling from the side that she assumed was a walker, but other than that, there was only silence.

Deciding to approach quickly and efficiently, she shoved on the door, immediately swinging her machete up in defense, eyes scanning all around. A stack of books stood on her left, and her eyes immediately fell on the bible that lay on top.

A jet of ice ran through her system. She quickly averted her gaze to the stalls, checking for any movement. When she circled back to the entrance she slowly opened the door to a small compartment by the stack of books. Inside there was a lone walker, feebly crawling towards her.

She sighed, watching as it struggled to maneuver among the trash and debris it's former self left behind.

When it finally came close enough she swung her blade, cutting off the head with a single, clean stroke. The effort alone left her head light and her feet shuffling. She knew that she shouldn't have gone too hard, but the scene before her urged her to end the creature's suffering.

She took a second to catch her breath, then dragged the body out to the forest. The barn would be her refuge for the night, and after a few hours of cleaning and decluttering, she managed a liveable space in the compartment that once held the walker.

As soon as she laid down on the cool ground it didn't take long for her to doze off.

In her dreams she was padding through a long hallway, the windows lining the sides all open. Thunder crackled and shook the Earth as a gust of rain slammed against the wall, causing the curtains on the windows to violently wave against the wind. She was drenched in the water, but there was somewhere she needed to be, someone she needed to see.

Near the end of the hallway a door swung open. Someone gave out a blood curdling scream so horrifying she woke with a start, gasping for breath. Instinctively she reached up to wipe the rain water off of her face, and stared at her hands in numb silence when no moisture lay on her palms.

It was the same dream, an unfinished story that played over and over every time she closed her eyes, only this time it felt so real.

She shook her head, choosing to believe that she was just eager for the rainfall that the clouds overhead would bring. Looking out from a gap in the walls, she swore she saw a figure moving about in the trees.

 _Another walker,_ she theorized. _Better to let it walk off and die on its own._

But a few seconds passed, and the blurry figure formed itself, hesitating by a tree down the path.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw it lay a familiar crossbow against the tree. It couldn't be, she had to be imagining this.

She decided there was only one way to find out.

Rushing to her machete, she quickly sheathed the weapon before making her way out of the barn. The second her worn boots hit gravel the man by the tree snapped up to watch as she shuffled towards him. He quickly brushed what appeared to be tears away and stood up, mouth parted in a look of disbelief.

"Daryl?" She breathed.

He was silent for a moment, staring at her in shock. It took him a few seconds, but when she finally came close enough, his lips formed a rare smile. "Holy shit, Rory. You look like hell."

She let out a burst of laughter, and he chuckled. Her laughter soon gave way to tears, and she rushed into his arms.

Daryl hesitated for a moment, unsure how to react as she pressed herself against him. Absentmindedly, he raised his arms, and glanced at the burn mark his cigarette had left on his hand.

 _You're not dead_ , a familiar voice rang in his head. _I know you_. _You have to let yourself feel it._

So he wrapped his arms around her, and held her as tight as he could, burying his face in her neck as the tears scalded and started.


	3. to Open Up

By the time Aurora and Daryl made their way back to the group they were slowing down, if there was even a point to go even slower than before.

The long distance travelling and intense heat had taken a major toll on the survivors, Aurora could gather that much from just a glance.

After their embrace Daryl filled Aurora in on the group's journey since the prison. He told her of the disastrous encounter at Terminus, and of the lives they lost along the way.

It took him a while to work up to the names, and Aurora could tell how heavy their deaths lay on his shoulders, especially Beth's. His silence would hang over longer, an empty space that held such great grief. Aurora eventually gave up on trying to get more information from Daryl. She knew that it had taken a lot out of him to share everything with her, so she had remained silent the rest of the way back to the main road.

The group hadn't seen her yet; she made sure to linger a little further back while Daryl led the way.

It was silly, the way her heart began to race as they came closer. She was incredibly relieved to be able to reunite with the group, but there were some things she had left undone before they were all separated.

Her palms ran slick against the handle of her machete as Daryl made himself known among the group.

Immediately they all snapped to look at him, a sort of savage look in their eyes as they braced for conflict. But the tension was cut down as quickly as it came; it was only Daryl, they had nothing to be afraid of.

"Picked up someone on the way," Daryl allowed himself a small smirk, watching as Rick tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Someone?" he questioned.

Daryl only turned around, beckoning for Rory to come out from the trees. She slowly stepped through the grass, emerging with a slight hesitance, gauging everyone's reactions.

Across the group Aurora could see a mix of old and new faces, though the ones she recognized all stared at her in shock.

It was only when Carol stepped forward that their attention was averted. There were tears brimming over as she placed her hands on Aurora's shoulders. They spilled over and ran down her cheeks as she grinned, "Look at you, kiddo. You're a mess." Aurora let out a breathy chuckle, rushing into the older woman's arms, clutching her in a tight embrace.

When Carol had pulled herself away each person Aurora had known came up to greet her, some more enthusiastic than others, but she understood the distance. She had gravitated towards people like Daryl and Carol because they all shared the same sense of privacy that others lacked.

Rick had pulled her in immediately after Carol, murmuring that he was relieved to see her again. It had been a team effort between Aurora and Herschel to save Carl's life all that time ago, and ever since then Rick had felt an immense respect and personal gratitude towards her. Besides Carol, Daryl, and Carl there were very few people left who Aurora had been with since the beginning. Well, there was one other…

"Rick," Aurora breathed, looking around among the others. "Where's —"

"Glenn and Maggie went off a mile back. They should be coming back around soon." Rick replied, already knowing who she was looking for.

Aurora gave a sheepish smile, nodding in confirmation before walking back over to Daryl.

"Daryl told me about everything that happened after the prison," Aurora frowned. She turned to face Sasha, who had held her tight when she greeted her but now held a vacant look in her eyes. "I'm sorry about your brother," she spoke softly. Something faltered in Sasha's stoic stare, but she soon regained her composure, only nodding in response before averting her gaze.

"What happened out there, Rory?" Carl asked, "Did you find anyone along the way?"

Everyone turned to await her response. They had all encountered their own set of strangers along the way, but it was interesting to know what her eyes had seen after being separated.

A million memories ran through Aurora's mind then, fighting for attention as she tried to push them back from where they came. She blinked, unsure how to begin. "I did," was all she could manage to say, voice raw as she looked at Rick for a save.

He immediately got the hint, a hint of sorrow in his eyes as he gently urged his son back to the road, "Let's give her a moment before asking any questions, all right?"

"I was just wondering —" Carl began.

But Rick was quick to hush him, motioning for everyone to continue on and give Aurora some much needed space as they continued back down the road.

One of the unfamiliar faces made their way over to Aurora, a soft smile playing on her lips as she reached out a hand in greeting. "I'm Tara. It's Rory, right?"

Aurora cautiously took her hand, giving it a half-hearted shake before nodding in response. "How'd you come across our group?"

Tara averted her gaze, shuffling along for a few beats in silence before choosing her words, "I was actually there when the Governor attacked your place, just on the wrong side of the fence, really."

Aurora paused for a moment, staring at Tara blankly.

"She's one of the good ones," Daryl grumbled, urging Aurora onwards as Tara practically kicked herself in the face mentally for her choice of words.

"Well, Tara," Aurora started, "As long as this guy says you're okay." She nudged Daryl then, earning a small shove back in response. They allowed themselves to laugh before moving back along.

"It was really Glenn who vouched for me," Tara continued.

Aurora nodded to herself, "Yeah, he's nice like that," she chuckled.

"You two close?" Tara asked.

Daryl snorted. "You have no idea." He mumbled to himself, but loud enough for Aurora to hear.

She shot him a glare, to which he only smirked in response. "I grew up with the kid," Aurora explained, returning her attention to Tara. "We were together in Atlanta when we first met up with the group. Been with them since the beginning."

"If you guys have known each other since you were kids he must practically be like a brother to you, then, huh?" Tara asked, getting another laugh out of Daryl, a rare sound that very few besides Aurora had ever heard.

She could feel the heat crawling up her cheeks, causing her to stare down at the ground in embarrassment. "He's one of my best friends," was all she could manage, giving Daryl another shove as he kept on chuckling.

"Was that a laugh I just heard from you, Daryl?" A familiar voice rang from behind them.

Immediately Aurora froze, stopping dead in her tracks as she heard the figure emerge from the trees on their left.

Daryl looked behind him, then, nodding in greeting before sending a wary glance at Aurora.

"I don't even think I can remember the last time I've heard you laugh like that." the man continued, "I mean, not since —"

She turned around then, body frozen as he finally saw her.

"Aurora?" he breathed after felt like an eternity of silence.

Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest with how hard it pounded. The rest of the group had shuffled on, leaving only Tara and Daryl to stand and witness the two staring at each other in utter shock.

Aurora nodded, allowing the tears that had begun to pool to spill over as she smiled, filling her lungs with much needed air as she gasped. "Told you I'd always find you," she let out a breathy chuckle. "Glenn," she breathed, before running into his arms.

Up front, Rick had finally turned around to notice the others that were behind. He could only look on with a knowing smile as Glenn and Aurora held each other tight, mumbling words incoherent to him at such a distance.

"So that's why you laughed," Tara remarked, turning to glance at Daryl.

He only grunted in response, reverting back to his stoic self.

It had been so easy for him to stay closed off when there was no one around to open him up.

Aurora was practically sobbing, glancing at Daryl with a smile so wide he could practically feel the happiness radiating off of her.

She turned away from him, turning her attention back to Glenn.

It would be harder for him to close himself back up now, he realized.


End file.
